


First Knight

by vix_spes



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode Tag, Established Relationship, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 06:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3682377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur can't really remember a time when Leon hasn't been there and recent events have left him shaken...</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Knight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [isisanubis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/isisanubis/gifts).



> This takes place directly after 3.12/13 so just imagine that none of the Gwen stuff happens!

There were very few memories that Arthur Pendragon had that didn't involve Leon of Cameliard. It just seemed as though he had always been there. Five years older than Arthur, Leon had arrived in Camelot as a squire at the age of ten. As the youngest son of Leodegrance, King of Cameliard and one of Uther's allies, Leon had been sent to Camelot to learn the knights trade as he would never truly hold a position of power within his father's kingdom, particularly as he was the youngest of three sons.

Normally, where there were three sons, one of them would end up in the priesthood or a more scholarly career but Leon was an unexpected child, the youngest by a clear twelve years and was doted upon by parents and siblings alike. Thus, knowing what Leon desired, Leodegrance had begged a favour of Uther and secured Leon a position as a squire of Camelot on the understanding that, should he progress as expected, he would ultimately become a knight of Camelot. Being deemed as a suitable companion, Uther had wasted no time in introducing the newly arrived in Camelot Leon to the young prince Arthur.

It had been a decided success.

Arthur had been absolutely besotted from the instant that they met and idolised Leon. He had followed the older boy around like a puppy for years until Arthur himself had become a squire and Leon had officially been given the title of Arthur's mentor. For his part, Leon had loved being the oldest for once and had doted upon Arthur as a younger brother. In the years that followed, the older man had always been there and that hadn't changed. Even when Arthur had become both the Champion of Camelot and the Crown Prince, Leon stood by his side as the First Knight of Camelot.

It was a huge sense of relief to Arthur because he couldn't imagine ever having Leon _not_ by his side, it simply seemed wrong. He had every intention that, when he finally took the throne as King of Camelot, Leon would be by his side as First Knight of Camelot and also as one of Arthur's trusted advisors, no doubt alongside Merlin, however unconventional that may be. Then again, Arthur was proving to be unconventional. It was strange how, for so long, Arthur had been isolated from almost everyone except for Leon but now four of his most trusted knights were commoners that Arthur had raised to knighthood. Despite their presence, and the importance of Merlin in his life, it hadn't diminished the importance of Leon or his role in Arthur's life.

Far from it.

Because Leon wasn't just the First Knight of Camelot. At least not in Arthur's eyes. He was so much more than that. It was Leon who had been Arthur's first true confidante, his first kiss, his first exploratory fumblings and his first true lover. It had even been Leon who had escorted Arthur, on the orders of his father, to a well-known prostitute for his first experiences with a woman but it had been Leon that Arthur had embarked upon a relationship with. A relationship that, for a long time, nobody was aware of, not even Merlin. There had been more than a few close encounters but they had managed to keep it secret, something that had become far harder in the last year or so, especially as Arthur grew closer to his knights.

The last few years had also shown Arthur that not every man was infallible and immune to injury. Not that Arthur had ever truly thought that but Leon had always seemed untouchable, invincible even. An incredibly talented swordsman, it had always been him telling Arthur to curb his reckless behaviour and not take so many risks, that Leon wouldn't always be there and able to watch his back. But the problem was that Leon always _had_ been there to watch his back so Arthur had never truly taken the older knights words to heart.

And then the Great Dragon had attacked Camelot. As expected of him, both by Arthur and Camelot, Leon was on the front lines night after night, side by side with Arthur to defend the city. When Arthur had ridden out with Merlin to try and find the last Dragonlord, Leon had taken over command of the defences and held them until Arthur's return. When Arthur had declared his intention to ride out and face the Great Dragon, having failed to bring back the Dragonlord, he hadn't been surprised that Leon was the first to volunteer to ride out with him. It hadn't taken Arthur long to wish that Leon hadn't spoken up when the beast had so easily felled all of the volunteers. To this day, Arthur had no idea how it was that Leon had survived with nothing more than a few burns to his back and the upper portion of his non-dominant arm but he was too grateful to think too much on it. And, well, if in the months that followed Leon noticed that Arthur had a tendency to linger over the puckered skin then he never mentioned it.

Then came the news that Leon had been killed in battle with Cenred's soldiers. Arthur had been so relieved that the news of Leon's death had been given to him in private because he had been unable to control his reaction. He had raged around the room, overturning chairs and shredding papers before he had collapsed into sobs, leaving Merlin standing there, utterly bewildered and unsure what to do.

When he had calmed somewhat, he had haltingly explained to Merlin the true extent of his relationship with Leon, his breath still hitching occasionally with sobs. It had been so hard to go in front of his father and the court and inform them not only of the deaths of the rest of the patrol, but of Leon as well, who was a favourite of Uther's. Arthur had actually found himself having to take a deep breath before he uttered Leon's name, hoping to both prevent his voice from cracking and the tears from spilling over his cheeks. When Leon reappeared, alive, Arthur felt as though he had been on an emotional rollercoaster. He didn't care that it was magic that was responsible for Leon's miraculous recovery, he just cared that he was alive. It was only a soft, pointed cough from Merlin that had him releasing his grasp on Leon before the entire court discovered just how close the prince of Camelot and his first knight were. For days Arthur had hovered over Leon like a mother hen, terrified to let him out of his sight because if he did then Leon might get himself killed again.

But none of those feelings came close to how he had felt for the last couple of weeks, knowing that Leon was trapped inside Camelot with Morgana, Morgause and their immortal army. What made it worse was, despite his complaints that Arthur was the reckless one and didn't think about his safety, Leon was just as bad. Arthur knew that, if it came down to dying or protecting Arthur, Uther and Camelot, Leon would choose the former and Arthur both loved and hated that about him. He was just grateful that Merlin knew about him and Leon was slightly more accepting of Arthur's beastly mood.

Still, Arthur could relax now, or at least relax as much as he ever could. Leon was alive, he was safe within Camelot's walls and, as soon as he had finished his patrol, he would be in Arthur's arms and bed. Merlin, knowing just how desperately Arthur needed this, had even offered to stand guard so that they weren't disturbed, something that Arthur had accepted gratefully. More than ever, Arthur wished that he wasn't prince of Camelot, that he and Leon weren't knights bound by a code of honour. He wished that they were just ordinary men who could be together without the fear of being killed because both of them should have been dead ten times over by now and Arthur knew that their luck had to run out sooner or later. He had toyed with the idea of sending Leon back to Cameliard as an official envoy from Camelot but he knew that Leon would never accept that. He also knew that he was feeling this way because one of the other knights had informed him that, even with a crossbow directed at his heart, Leon had refused to betray Arthur or Camelot and join Morgana.

At the sound of the door opening, Arthur turned from the window to see Leon stepping into the room and Merlin dismissing the guards for a break; by the time they returned they wouldn't know that Leon had never left and it wasn't unheard of for Merlin to remain outside Arthur's chambers overnight. Arthur gave a nod of thanks to Merlin who acknowledged it with a small quirk of his lips before shutting the door and then Arthur was moving.

He slammed into Leon, the taller knight rocking back slightly before he wrapped his arms around Arthur, anchoring them both. Arthur didn't care how desperate he appeared as he tilted his head up, crashing their lips together as his hands fisted in Leon's cloak. Besides, Leon was clearly just as desperate if the grip that he had on Arthur's hips was any indication. Arthur just drank it all in. The familiar smell and taste of Leon, the brush of Leon's beard against his skin and the way that Leon's hair was long enough to tangle his hands in the gingery curls. It was simultaneously too much and not nearly enough.

Scrabbling at Leon's cloak and chainmail, Arthur found his fingers fumbling over motions they had memorised nearly twenty years earlier to the point that Leon had to take over for him, stripping them both and leaving their clothing in a pile on the floor. As Leon drew Arthur over to the bed and got in, coaxing Arthur down with gentle kisses and caresses, the frantic feeling dissipating, Arthur was struck with the thought that it should be him comforting Leon. After all, it was he that had been kept prisoner, not Arthur.

Arching up into Leon as he was pressed into the mattress, Leon's solid bulk a reassuring weight above him, Arthur couldn't help but wish once more that he could have this, could have Leon like this forever. That he didn't have to get married and produce an heir when he would never be able to love a wife like he did Leon. Leon would always be first knight, there was no doubt of that and that would never change, but was that enough for Arthur?

As Arthur surrendered himself to the sensations that Leon was eliciting, his last coherent thought was that, truthfully, Leon was not only first knight, he was so much more than that. He was everything.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would prefer to comment on LJ, you can do so [here](http://vix-spes.livejournal.com/185288.html)


End file.
